Pieces of valuable screen stolen

Two pieces of a valuable 16-piece folding screen have been stolen from a mansion in Songkou town, Fujian province, Fuzhou-based newspaper Straits News reported on Friday.

The estimated value of the stolen pieces is 3 million yuan ($488,700).

The 1.5-meter-high folding screen was made of valuable pear wood during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (1736-95). The first owner of the mansion hired craftsmen who spent 24 years having all the screens gilded.

Hou Xinhong, an official of Songkou town, urged the government to install closed-circuit television cameras to prevent such thefts in the future.